Feeling tired by mid-afternoon or struggling to get going in the morning is something most of us experience from time to time. The NHS notes that a lot of tiredness is caused by stress, lack of sleep, poor diet and other lifestyle factors. While no single food will transform your energy overnight, understanding how to boost your energy with food can make a real difference to how you feel throughout the day.
When it comes to building healthy habits that last, the food you eat is one of the best places to start. Knowing how to boost your energy levels comes down to understanding how food fuels your body, why blood sugar matters and which food groups help keep you going. We share some simple nutrition tips to try and point out everyday habits that could be draining your energy without you realising.
How Does Food Give You Energy?
The energy your body gets from food is measured in calories, and it comes from carbohydrates, protein and fat. Each plays a different role, but carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy.
When you digest carbohydrates, they are broken down into sugar and carried through the bloodstream, where your body uses them for energy. This glucose also fuels your muscles and helps maintain body temperature. According to the British Dietetic Association (BDA), your brain alone accounts for around 20 per cent of the energy your body needs.
Protein and fat provide energy too, but they work differently. When eaten alongside carbohydrates, protein, fat and fibre slow down digestion, so the carbohydrate is absorbed more gradually. This helps avoid sharp rises in blood sugar and keeps your energy levels steadier.
Blood Sugar and Your Energy Levels
Every time you eat or drink something containing carbohydrate, your blood sugar rises. How quickly this happens depends on the type of carbohydrate, and it’s measured using the glycaemic index (GI).
High GI foods, such as white bread, cause your blood sugar to rise quickly and then drop again. Low GI foods, such as wholegrains and high-fibre options, are absorbed more slowly because the fibre acts as a barrier during digestion. This leads to a more gradual rise and fall in blood sugar, helping you avoid the peaks and dips that can leave you feeling tired.
We rarely eat foods on their own, so it helps to think about the meal as a whole. This is where protein and fat come in. For example, the BDA explains that a jacket potato on its own is a high GI food, but keeping the skin on and adding salad for fibre, tuna for protein and a little mayonnaise for fat reduces its effect on blood sugar.
GI doesn’t give the full picture, though. It shows how quickly a food affects blood sugar rather than how nutritious it is, and some nutritious foods have a higher GI than less healthy options. That’s why a balanced diet matters more than focusing on GI alone.
What to Eat to Boost Your Energy
The foods that boost your energy are the ones that work together as part of a balanced diet. The NHS Eatwell Guide sets this out as a nutritional wheel. It shows how much of each food group to aim for and is a useful starting point for getting the balance right.
| Food Group | How it Supports Your Energy | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Starchy Food | The body’s main energy source, with wholegrain versions releasing energy more slowly | Wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, oats, potatoes with skins |
| Fruit and vegetables | Provide carbohydrate alongside vitamins, minerals and fibre | Fresh, frozen, tinned or dried fruit and vegetables |
| Protein | Slows digestion when paired with carbohydrates and provides iron and B vitamins | Lean meat, fish, eggs, beans, lentils |
| Dairy and alternatives | Provide protein, vitamin B12 and natural sugar from lactose | Milk, yoghurt, cheese, fortified dairy alternatives |
| Oils and spreads | High in energy, so only small amounts are needed, and help slow carbohydrate absorption | Olive, rapeseed and sunflower oils |
The Eatwell Guide recommends that fruit and vegetables make up just over a third of what we eat each day. Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced all count, although fruit juice and smoothies should be limited to a combined total of 150ml a day. Juicing and blending remove much of the fibre found in whole fruit, making them less filling and higher in sugar per glass. Bulking out meals with vegetables is an easy way to eat more of them, and choosing seasonal produce adds variety throughout the year.
Vitamins and Minerals That Help Fight Tiredness
As well as providing energy, food supplies the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function well. If your diet is low in nutrient-rich foods, you may miss out on some that affect your energy and mood.
Iron
Not getting enough iron can lead to anaemia, leaving you feeling weak, tired and lethargic. Good sources include red meat, poultry, fish, beans, pulses and fortified cereals.
To help your body absorb iron, try to avoid tea and coffee at mealtimes, as they contain tannins that reduce absorption. Eating vitamin C-rich fruit and vegetables with your meals can also help.
B Vitamins
A lack of B1, B3 or B12 can cause tiredness and leave you feeling low or irritable. You’ll find them in fortified wholegrain cereals, meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Meat is one of the main sources of vitamin B12, so if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and plant-based milks can help you get enough.
Simple Nutrition Tips to Boost Your Energy
Boosting your energy doesn’t have to mean overhauling your diet. Making smart food choices and small, consistent changes often has the biggest impact. Here are some simple ways to boost your energy without caffeine.
- Eat regularly – The NHS suggests eating regular meals and healthy snacks every 3 to 4 hours, rather than a large meal less often.
- Start the day with breakfast – A breakfast that includes some carbohydrate, such as porridge or wholegrain toast, helps top up your blood sugar after going without food overnight.
- Include a starchy food at each main meal – Choosing high-fibre versions such as brown bread and wholemeal pasta will help you feel fuller for longer.
- Pair your carbohydrates – Adding protein, healthy fats or fibre to carbohydrate-based meals and snacks helps release energy more gradually.
- Keep healthy snacks to hand – Oatcakes, plain rice cakes, pitta bread and plain popcorn are good options for slow-release energy.
- Drink enough water – Mild dehydration can leave you feeling tired, and a glass of water can help, especially after exercise. Staying hydrated is particularly important in warmer weather.
Turning changes like these into habits takes time, but setting realistic goals and tracking your progress can make it easier to stay healthy in the long run.
What Could Be Draining Your Energy?
Some everyday eating habits can work against you, even when they feel like they’re helping.
Skipping Meals
Missing meals when you’re busy might save time, but it can leave your body short of fuel. When you go too long without eating, your blood sugar can drop and leave you feeling weak, tired and foggy.
Very Restrictive Diets
Cutting out whole food groups or dramatically reducing how much you eat can have a similar effect. Very restrictive diets can also cause your blood sugar to drop, and removing food groups altogether makes it harder to get the full range of nutrients your body needs for energy.
Relying on Sugary Snacks and Energy Drinks
A sugary snack or energy drink might seem like a quick fix, but the effect doesn’t last. Once your blood sugar is at a normal level, having more won’t improve your concentration. If you’re already eating regular meals with some carbohydrate, sugary energy drinks don’t offer any extra benefit.
Too Much Caffeine
Caffeine can help you feel more awake, but it can also disrupt your sleep and lead to tiredness during the day. Its effects can last up to 7 hours, so it’s worth avoiding in the evening if you’re having trouble sleeping. If you decide to cut back, reduce your intake gradually, as stopping suddenly can cause insomnia and headaches.
Alcohol
Alcohol might help you fall asleep, but you sleep less deeply afterwards and are likely to wake up tired, even after a full 8 hours. Cutting down before bedtime can help you sleep better and feel more energised the next day.
When Tiredness Is More Than Diet
Food plays an important role in how energetic you feel, but it isn’t the only factor. Sleep, stress, activity levels and your general health all play a part. Many people don’t get the sleep they need to stay alert through the day, and poor sleep can also contribute to problems such as headaches.
Exercise might be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re tired, but staying active can help you feel less tired over time. Even a single 15-minute walk can give you an energy boost.
Stress also uses up a lot of energy. There’s some evidence that talking therapies may help with tiredness caused by stress, anxiety or low mood, and our counselling service can give you tools to help manage these feelings.
Ongoing fatigue is different from everyday tiredness. If you feel overwhelmingly tired and rest and sleep don’t help, it could be a sign of an underlying medical condition, so it’s important to speak to your GP.
Get Personalised Nutrition Support
General advice can only go so far, as everyone’s body, lifestyle and routine are different. Our nutritionist Laila Charlesworth can create a personalised action plan to help you build eating habits that support your energy levels.
Get in touch with our friendly team today to find out how we can help you feel more energised.
